Ryan, an Emergency Department nurse at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, helped a fireman provide shoes and a meal to a homeless man on a 100-degree summer day. The man didn’t need medical attention, just a little TLC.

SMCS has a clothes closet to offer underprivileged and homeless patients something to wear upon release from the hospital or ED. Sometimes a patient has clothes removed by the staff and they need something to wear when they are discharged.

“It’s a great resource that we provide to the community,” said Ryan. During the winter, SMCS sets up a coat rack in the ED waiting room and anyone can come in and take a coat if they need it – no questions asked. Anna estimates that nearly 500 coats were distributed last year.

On this summer day, the homeless man came into the ED without a pair of shoes. Unfortunately, there were no shoes in the clothes closet to give him.

The fireman offered to “do his good deed for the day” and purchase a pair of shoes for the man. Ryan then brought a sandwich and water for him while he sat in the waiting room.

Soon enough, the homeless man, with proper footwear on his feet, was on his way.

Ryan, inspired by the fireman’s actions, wanted to do more. She knew that the homeless man would not be the last individual to come to the hospital in need of shoes.

“What the fireman did truly made my day,” she said. “I have no idea who he was or how I can thank him.”

Ryan decided to pay it forward. She posted on her Facebook page asking for shoe donations to stock SMCS’ clothes closet. Before she knew it, she received shoes from neighbors, friends and even strangers as the post made its way across social media.

“The response was amazing. One lady even showed up at the hospital and dropped off a trunk full of shoes – some were even brand new,” said Anna.

One of her acquaintances, Alison Buhler, a Sutter Medical Center Foundation past board member and current Goodwill Industries board member, wanted to help. Buhler reached out to Goodwill and the organization offered to supply the clothes closet with shoes on monthly basis.

“It is truly amazing and all as a result of one compassionate fireman making the decision to go out and buy a homeless man a pair of shoes,” said Ryan. “I am truly humbled and grateful for the generosity of our community and especially Goodwill. I was very impressed with the organization and all they do in the community. We are so grateful to them for this donation.”